With temperatures dropping, I’ve enjoyed spending time in my garden the last couple weeks. I’ve reshaped some flower beds, gotten rid of weeds that have crept in over the last year, and planted a bunch of new flowers for the bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies that come to visit.
If you’ve gardened in southwest Ohio, you know that as soon as your shovel gets through the first couple inches of soil, you hit clay, which is the result of thousands of years of glacial movement leaving fine silt behind. My trowel hits the clay with a dull thud, and I pry up a shovelful of thick, goopy, yellow mess that doesn’t drain and won’t provide the right nutrients for the plants I want in my garden. So I’ve spent countless hours digging out and amending my garden beds to make them more hospitable for the ecosystem I want to create in my yard.
Of course, while I’m toiling away in the dirt, my mind is wandering and eventually it presents to me this quandary: Over and over again in scripture, we’re reminded not to focus on earthly things; that we should set our minds to things of heaven.
Well, shoot. I really like my garden. Am I supposed to let the weeds take over and not worry about keeping it nice? The township might have an issue if I let it get overgrown. I continued to dig in the dirt while I pondered my spiritual dilemma. This great weather won’t last forever.
My train of thought led me to some deep truths about how some Christians interpret the Bible. There are groups of people who are really focused on heaven and how to get there. These “salvation at all costs” folks are quick to identify sins in others and either try to help them “see the light” or cast them out of their social circles for being sinners. This is not what Jesus meant when he said to focus on heavenly things. As a matter of fact, he was pretty specific about loving everybody, whether they are sinners or not; whether they are “unclean” or not. He didn’t say to love them “as long as they start acting the way I think they should.”
We’re left with a Gospel that asks us to bring the joy of salvation here, on earth, in the present. “On earth as it is in heaven,” right? It seems like a big task. With so many difficult things going on in the world, how can any of us make a difference? In my garden, I have added nutrients and organic matter to the clay slowly over years to make it better for my plants to thrive. In our lives, we can strive to be the loving, healthy space for other people to live and grow. That’s how we can focus on heavenly things while maintaining our connection to the physical world.
What are some ways you can bring the joy of God’s love to other people and creation?
Blessings,
John Johns, Music Director